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Dr Who Convention (BBC) : Longleat 1983 : Programme

Publication date: 1983

Topics: Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Collection: comics_inbox; comics; additional_collections

Language: English

Item Size: 15.5M

Twenty Years of a Time Lord

The souvenir programme from the BBC's Doctor Who convention held over Easter 1983 at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, England, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the television series that year.

This was one of many events held in 1983 in connection with this Anniversary: the tv series was still running, and had been continuously on air each year since 1963, and the 5th actor was then playing the lead, Peter Davison.

Held in conjunction with the BBC's Doctor Who Exhibition, which in 1983 was also being hosted at the Longleat Safari Park, this two day convention was the only occasion on which the BBC has ever staged a Dr Who convention.

In one sense this event was a triumph, as the BBC gathered together almost every living Doctor and companion, and provided massive tv and radio coverage of the event.

In another sense it was a disaster, as the BBC had only expected about 4,000 attendees, but more than 40,000 people descended on the Safari Park for the convention weekend causing massive chaos, as all traffic in Wiltshire ground to a standstill. BBC Enterprises certainly deemed it such, as they never again organised such an event.

Heavy rain also turned the Safari Park into a mudbath.

This souvenir programme was sold by the BBC at the event for the modest price of 50p, giving details of the displays and events included over the weekend.

Anyone with an adventurous nature can find videos from this 1983 Convention posted all over the internet, particularly on YouTube. There was massive live tv (and radio) coverage, there were official video releases afterwards on VHS, and lots of fans (and some fanclubs) took their new camcorders to the event.

The age of the camcorder and of VHS home video had just begun, and it seemed like everyone was trying to film this convention.

Copyright Expired Publication

The 25 year period of publisher's copyright under the UK's Copyright Acts 1956 to 1988 has expired for all items included in this collection:

· Copyright Act 1956, s.15(2) :
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1956/74/section/15

· Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, s.15 :
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/15